Hideki Matsuyama made history on Sunday as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship.
Ten years after debuting as the best amateur at Augusta National, Matsuyama claimed the ultimate trophy with a win in the Masters.
Matsuyama closed with a 1-over 73 and a one-time win that was only close at the end and never seriously hesitated after Xander Schauffele’s late attack ended with a triple bogey on the par-3 16th.
Moments before Dustin Johnson got him into the green coat, Matsuyama didn’t need an interpreter in Butler Cabin when he said in English, “I’m really happy.”
Tiger Woods, five-time Masters winner, congratulated Matsuyama in a tweet Sunday, writing that the win would “affect the entire golf world.”
Making Japan proud of Hideki. Congratulations on such a tremendous achievement for you and your country. This historical @The masters The win affects the entire golf world.
– Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 11, 2021
This performance was so masterful that Matsuyama extended his lead to six shots in the back nine to a few dramatic moments. With a four-shot lead, he went for the green in two on the par-5 15th, and the ball jumped hard off the back slope and into the pond on the 16th hole.
Matsuyama did well to walk away with bogey, and with Schauffele making a fourth consecutive birdie, the lead was reduced to two shots with three to play.
The next swing almost finished it. Schauffele’s tee shot on the par-3 16th bounced off the hill and dribbled into the pond. His third shot from the drop area went into the gallery. He finished with a triple bogey 6.
It doesn’t matter that Matsuyama ogreys three of his last four holes. All that mattered was that uphill walk to the 18th green, where all you had to do was shoot out of the bunker and take two putts for the win.
That’s what he did, one last bogey for a one-time win over 24-year-old Masters rookie Will Zalatoris, who finished with a 70 and stayed on the practice range in case of a playoff.
Matsuyama finished 10 under 278 for his 15th worldwide win and sixth on the PGA Tour.
Far from certain, he finished 40-1 to win the tournament in William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook. Matsuyama was on some sportsbooks prior to the tournament with a score of 60-1, making him one of the biggest long shots to win Masters since Danny Willett in 2016.
Matsuyama was also not a popular choice for gamblers. As of Thursday, he accounted for just 1% of the money bet on the odds of winning the Masters at William Hill Sportsbooks.
ESPN’s David Purdum contributed to this story.